Since the hawt mess of Salzburg 2007 has seen a record number of singer cancellations -- for all kinds of reasons, OK, from bad diplomacy (Shicoff) to bad larigintis (Anna Niet), from bad planning (Garanca) to just bad luck -- poor Jurgen Flimm, that sweet punching bag of a man, has wisely decided that since singers are such unreliable fellas, he might as well give all teh powah to conductors. In this case, wisely, Flimm has chosen to rely heavily on Riccardo Muti. Who, after bagging that sweet official/unofficial guest conductor gig at the NY Phil has been silently promoted Kaiser of much of the good stuff that Salzburg is planning.
Next year, besides conducting Verdi's Otello, in Salzburg he'll conduct the event of the festival, the celebration of Herbert Von Karajan's 100th birthday -- for the occasion, Muti will conduct Brahms's German Requiem (a first, strangely, for the 66 year old conductor).
But what's really awesome is that Muti, in 2009, will be in charge of the commemoration of the bicentennial of Franz Joseph Haydn's death. The program has not yet been made public, but it is very likely that, besides the Creation -- a work that Muti has conducted in the past with amazing results -- the Italian maestro will also conduct a Haydn opera -- the title that has been in play, amazingly enough, is Il mondo della Luna.
Opera Chic has missed Salzburg this summer, regretfully -- for noble reasons: nostalgia for the US, other commitments, Santa Fe, the Barney sale @ Santa Monica Airport, shopping at Kitsons -- but we are so going, if not next summer, in 2009.